4 Star
For renowned actor Sir Mungo, his quiet home village in Devon provides the perfect retreat. Close by are his brother and his wife, and the rural location makes his home the ideal getaway for his old friends in London.
Among those is Kit, who comes to stay for the summer, bringing with her a letter from her first and only love, Jake, and a heart in turmoil. Years have passed since they last saw each other, and now he has written to Kit asking to meet again.
As the summer unfolds, secrets are uncovered that will shatter the sleepy community, and even tear a family apart. But those involved soon realize that the only way to move forward might be to confront the past...
Kathryn - 4 Star
Indian Summer is my first novel by this author and I’m sure it won’t be my last. Set in the countryside of Devon the scenery plays a big part in the story- as we delve into the past for the backstory it’s a key factor that the setting for the plot of the novel remains the same, despite the passage of time. I even found that it was a parallel for some of the characters’ plot lines.
Admittedly I found the first few pages difficult- I didn’t immediately warm to Sir Mungo and though I tried, I didn’t relate to him at first. I’m glad I persevered though because Mungo’s warmth did come across and I was invested in his history and his future so much. As a young actor he seemed to have frequently returned to the family home on holiday, bringing friends and treating them to the country life, a rural escape etc. However, now retired, he appeared to be staying longer and placing more emphasis on this natural escape to being his more permanent home.
Though initially focussed on Mungo, the author brought in old friends and new friends so that the plot kept expanding for Mungo, his brother and sister-in-law. Each persona had an intricate story of their own and sometimes I wasn’t sure how they would all match up. I liked the different generations that Willett explored - typical of a village in the countryside, you find all sorts of people amongst the ever changing fields, sky and wildlife. I was fascinated by the mystery of the past that was hinted at throughout (and mercifully is explained in the end) but I almost found it distracted from the newer relationships and found its conclusion a smidge anti-climactic- hopefully that’s just me.
Thank you to St.Martin's Press for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
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I really like the cover. Cheers
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